Apple in Talks with Comcast to Provide Streaming TV Service on Future Apple TV

[alent1234]

netflix screwed up their content distribution last year and that's when all the problems started. not only did they screw it up, they started SuperHD which sends more data and then tried to blame it on everyone else

comcast even gave netflix a cheaper rate than what they were paying to other companies for networking

 

[wigby]

cord-cutting has nothing to do w/ pride, and everything to do w/ price. it's way cheaper for me to buy the occasional season pass on itunes than it is to write a check to the cable company for $100-150 a month for a bunch of slop that i dont need.

have you spoken to any cord cutters or listened to yourself once in a while? even if cable companies lowered their rates, most cord cutters would no go back to them for many reasons. the biggest one being their pride. i always hear great pride that they finally cut that albatross off their neck and then they try to get me to do the same. i admire them but i don't admire all of the programming that they miss because they have to search all over bit torrents, netflix, season passes and weird network portal players just to catch a episode they missed from season ago. cable is overpriced and sucks but it is so much easier.

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Pride, no. Savings, yes. I got a Triple Play two-year contract with Comcast for $127 per month, which was reasonable. After the two years ended, the monthly bill gradually crept up to $220 over the next year. I didn't need the land line phone, but not having it wasn't an option. I was ready to cut the cable, but Frontier (which bought out Verizon's FiOS network in my area) offered me the same cable TV and Internet package, with no land line and no contract, for $79 per month. That will increase to $99 after six months, and then to $120 for the second year. After that, if the rate goes up, I'll cut the cable and switch to their slowest high-speed Internet service for $30 per month (Comcast charges $70 per month for the same speed, if you only want Internet from them).

I was potentially interested in whatever Apple might offer, but, realistically, I don't expect it to be cheap. If they indeed plan to work through Comcast but offer a better user experience, then I'm guessing they'll charge more than Comcast. If that's the case, then I definitely won't be interested. There's more than enough good stuff for me to watch on over-the-air TV, Netflix, and various other Internet sources. Yeah, it would be inconvenient not having everything available through a common interface, and I wouldn't have access to all the cable TV content I currently watch, but I don't watch enough TV to justify paying more than $120 per month.

That's just me, though. I'm curious as to what other people would be willing to pay for a "better cable TV experience" through Apple, and what "better" would mean to you. For the record, I don't think an inexpensive a la carte model (e.g., $2 per channel) is realistic, for reasons that have been explained in other threads. Let's assume that Apple iTV would be at least as expensive as Comcast, but better -- unless you can come up with compelling reasons why it might be cheaper.

Sorry but all of your price quoting is exactly about pride. You're talking about $20 price increases after 1 year. If you're in this game, you can afford that easily. It just stings to have to pay it. I feel you. But just admit it. It doesn't break the bank for you, just your pride.

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Ew, everything about this seems like a bad idea. I guess I can withhold judgement but this just seems like it would be bad for consumers.

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Why can't they just create a box like Tivo? Tivo doesn't have preferential treatment and works just fine. In fact, you're Cable bill is likely to go down using a Tivo as you're no longer paying the cable company for a box rental or DVR service.

Tivo isn't just hardware like an Apple TV. It has service packages that unlock its usefulness just like the fee you pay to "rent" the cable boxes. Different terminology but the exact same thing and price is basically the same too. About $15/month

 

[kds1]

and they have local blackouts just like the NHL and MLB games. the only league that i know of that doesn't do blackouts is MLS.
i want to watch the local NYC teams, not some other team

this whole cord cutter thing went from people who don't watch a lot of TV to people wanting to cut cable and nickel and dime themselves with 20 other services. netflix is awesome but there is no point streaming live sports when broadcasting it takes less resources

Not all local games are blacked out. I live in NYC and the Nets played the Kings at Barclays in Brooklyn, and it was available to stream via the NBA app on AppleTV. And no, I don't want to nickel and dime myself with 20 other services. There aren't 20 other services I want! A la carte subscribing on a month to month basis, just doing one month here and there, or every month if I so choose is the way I want it. Plus, some AppleTV services are subscription free, like WSJ Live, or Crackle, because they have limited advertising, and I'm okay with that.

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have you spoken to any cord cutters or listened to yourself once in a while? even if cable companies lowered their rates, most cord cutters would no go back to them for many reasons. the biggest one being their pride. i always hear great pride that they finally cut that albatross off their neck and then they try to get me to do the same. i admire them but i don't admire all of the programming that they miss because they have to search all over bit torrents, netflix, season passes and weird network portal players just to catch a episode they missed from season ago. cable is overpriced and sucks but it is so much easier.

Dude, it's not about pride, it's about not paying exorbitant fees fur JUNK, like Bravo and USA Network and Lifetime and SOAP Net, and OWN and Oxygen and FOX NEWS (<---LOL), and endless marathons of "Golden Girls" or "Charlie's Angels" or "Bizarre Foods". Really? Really??? I loved the show "Southland" when it was on NBC. When it moved to TNT, I just bought the seasons through iTunes. Much, much, MUCH cheaper then paying almost $1,000 a year for Cable TV!!!!!! Cable TV is outdated and a dinosaur. As the internet get's faster (and it already is MUCH faster outside the U.S.), and tech keeps improving, and capacity expands, the internet is the way most everything will be delivered (to consumers). The convergence, honestly, between the internet and television is already here, in nascent from, and people who have cut the cord to cable and gone to internet only delivery of video and data are really early adopters of the way things will be for everyone in the future.

 

[thomasallen63]

Comcast? Really?

Why would Apple even consider partnering with a company that is notoriously known for it's abysmal customer service? I haven't had cable TV for 2 years now and don't miss a thing. Anyone with a brain can watch virtually anything for free via the bevy of TV link sites and Google's Chromecast. Sorry Apple, but you have come late to the party (e.g. iTunes Radio) AGAIN.

 

[laurim]

Why would Apple even consider partnering with a company that is notoriously known for it's abysmal customer service? I haven't had cable TV for 2 years now and don't miss a thing. Anyone with a brain can watch virtually anything for free via the bevy of TV link sites and Google's Chromecast. Sorry Apple, but you have come late to the party (e.g. iTunes Radio) AGAIN.

But anyone with a mature, moral compass can't. I've heard about pirates having "pride". Don't know how you can be proud about relying on decent people to fund your entertainment. I'M proud that when I want to be entertained, I pay the requested amount for it. If I think it's too expensive, I do without or wait until the price goes down.

 

[Darrin Bell]

But anyone with a mature, moral compass can't. I've heard about pirates having "pride". Don't know how you can be proud about relying on decent people to fund your entertainment. I'M proud that when I want to be entertained, I pay the requested amount for it. If I think it's too expensive, I do without or wait until the price goes down.

The third option is to get what you like differently for much less (still paying for it through Netflix, Hulu, ATV and season passes).

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have you spoken to any cord cutters or listened to yourself once in a while? even if cable companies lowered their rates, most cord cutters would no go back to them for many reasons. the biggest one being their pride. i always hear great pride that they finally cut that albatross off their neck and then they try to get me to do the same. i admire them but i don't admire all of the programming that they miss because they have to search all over bit torrents, netflix, season passes and weird network portal players just to catch a episode they missed from season ago. cable is overpriced and sucks but it is so much easier.

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Sorry but all of your price quoting is exactly about pride. You're talking about $20 price increases after 1 year. If you're in this game, you can afford that easily. It just stings to have to pay it. I feel you. But just admit it. It doesn't break the bank for you, just your pride.

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Tivo isn't just hardware like an Apple TV. It has service packages that unlock its usefulness just like the fee you pay to "rent" the cable boxes. Different terminology but the exact same thing and price is basically the same too. About $15/month

I'm not sure what this argument is about. It IS about pride, but what's wrong with that? Saving money is something to be proud of.

 

[laurim]

The third option is to get what you like differently for much less (still paying for it through Netflix, Hulu, ATV and season passes).

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I'm not sure what this argument is about. It IS about pride, but what's wrong with that? Saving money is something to be proud of.

I'm not talking about getting content legitimately but cheaper. I'm extremely proud of my knack for finding legitimate deals on things I want. Everyone should do that and there are many ways to get entertainment for next to nothing. We're talking about avoiding paying entirely by engaging in either full-out stealing or by enjoying the benefits of other people's criminal efforts. Like people who buy stolen goods. And many of these people could easily afford to pay for entertainment but steal it because they think they are cooler and more clever than us "losers" who pay for it because apparently we don't have their know-how to steal it ourselves. They act like a "big shot" because they horde hundreds of random movies (most of which they'll probably never watch more than once if ever) and share them with their friends so they can skip paying, too. They have long discussions about the best way to convert, index, manage, blah, blah which makes them feel important, like an "expert". Call that pride if you want but I don't think it's something to be proud about. All that effort to save a few bucks on something so frivolous. They try to justify it by saying it's infinitely copyable so it's not like stealing a physical object but in reality, they are getting the entertainment value of a piece of art that is made expressly to generate an income for all those involved in its creation and to provide the funds to make more entertainment in the future. They are thumbing their noses at all the people who make a living creating the entertainment they apparently value enough to break the law to get. If enough people participate in that activity, there will cease to be a reason to create the entertainment in the first place. Fortunately, most people have good morals and see the value in being entertained or can delay gratification to get that entertainment at a lower price.

 

[Darrin Bell]

How much do you pay per month for internet access?

Didn't notice this till now. I pay exactly what I paid before I canceled DirecTV, since I didn't get my internet access from DirecTV.

 

[naturalstar]

Bloodsucking Comcast?

Noooooooooooooooooo!

Don't do it, Apple. Don't do it!